AJIERICAN^.-— ^"^ 


BIBLICAL  REPOSITORY, 


DEVOTED   TO 


BIBLICAL  AND  GENERAL  LITERATURE,  THEOLOGICAL  DISCUSSION.  THE 
.    HISTORY  OF  THEOLOGICAL  OPINIONS,  ETC. 


CONDUCTED    BV 

JOHN    HOLMES    AGNEW 


Secontr    Scr  f  e». 
VOL.  XII.  NOS.  XXIII.,  XXIV.— WHOLE  NOS.  LV.,  LVL 


NEW-YORK. 
PUBLISHED    BY    LEAVITT,    TROW,    &    CO 

No.  194  Broadway. 
BOSTON: 

SAXTON  &  PIERCE,  133X  WASHINGTON-STREET 

LONDON: 

WILEY  &  PUTNAM,  35  PATERNOSTER  ROW 

1844 


t:NTEKtD  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1844.  by 

J.    H.    AGNEW, 
in  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  for  the  Southern 

District  of  New- York. 


Joiin   F.  Trow   A.  Co..   Pkintep. 
.33  A«»p«-iThi:iT,  Nkw  Yobr. 


1844.]  Sacred  Music.  425 

the  people  ;  for  it  is  added,  "  What  is  the  chaff  to  the  wheat  1" 
A  good  proportion  of  wheat  in  the  chaff,  it  is  admitted,  makes 
a  very  tolerable  compound.  But  when  it  comes  to  be  all  chaff, 
the  people  will  not  bear  it ;  for  they  know  very  well,  that  they 
are  wronged,  and  heaven  is  outraged.  We  say  to  every  young 
man,  whatever  the  size  of  his  parish  or  the  press  of  duty,  never 
consent  to  be  one  of  these  chaff-dealing  ministers.  Bring  forth 
the  wheat ;  then  good  will  be  done  ;  the  people  will  be  pleased, 
their  souls  will  thrive,  and  the  parish  will  grow.  Men  will 
come  and  listen  to  such  a  minister ;  thinking,  intellectual  men 
will  gladly  hear  hated  truth  well  preached.  Such  a  minister  is 
respected,  and  makes  religion  respected.  He  exhibits  it  in  its 
greatness,  and  majesty,  and  authoritative  claim,  so  that  the  un- 
believer is  afraid  to  treat  it  with  insolence.  Many  sweetly  bow 
to  it  here,  and  rise  at  length  to  its  reward  in  heaven. 


ARTICLE    VIII 

Sacred  Music. 


Source  of  the  Prevailing  Abuses  in  Cultivation,  and  the  only 
Practical  Remedy. 

By  Thomas  Hastings,  Esq.,  N.  Y. 

Whoever  enters  upon  a  careful  examination  of  the  Holy 
Scriptures  in  regard  to  the  cLaracter  and  the  influence  of  sacred 
music,  will  be  convinced  that  its  importance  in  these  modern 
days  is  not  fully  recognized.  Once  it  was  cultivated  by  kings 
and  princes,  and  teachers  of  religion  ;  now  it  is  left  with  the 
less  influential  classes  in  the  community.  Once  the  singing  of 
"  psalms,  and  hymns,  and  spiritual  songs,"  was  an  exercise  as 
truly  and  as  exclusively  religious,  as  was  that  of  preaching, 
exhortation,  or  prayer;  now  the  same  exercise  is  often  little 
else  than  an  entertainment  for  the  gratification  of  taste.  Once 
those  who  were  the  most  spiritual  were  the  most  active  in  the 
solemn  work  of  praise;  now  they  are  generally  the  most  neg- 
ligent; or  earnestly  engaging  as  they  sometimes  consent  to  do 


426  Sacred  Music.  [April, 

in  the  clischarp;*e  of  this  duty,  tliey  are  often  seen  to  decline  in 
spirituality.  They  appear  in  religious  things  as  if  some  stranf>e 
lethargy  had  overtaken  them ;  as  if  some  withering  ham!  had 
dried  up  within  them  all  the  sources  of  spiritual  life.  They 
become  other  men.  They  learn  by  degrees  to  exercise  them- 
selves with  the  sentimentalities  of  song,  instead  of  lifting  up 
holy  hands  and  hearts  to  God  in  the  solemn  exercise. 

The  many  painful  examples  of  this  nature  which  have  been 
witnessed  in  modern  times,  have  awakened  the  jealousy  of  good 
men  against  the  claims  of  the  art ;  and  led  many  to  imagine 
that  it  was  designed  chiefly  for  the  circumstances  of  other  times, 
while  now  it  is  waxing  old  and  ready  to  vanish  away.  Why 
else,  they  would  ask,  do  we  experience  so  little  benefit  from  the 
exercise  of  praise ;  and  why  are  we  so  often  foiled  in  our  efforts 
toward  rendering  it  an  efficient  instrument  of  edification  ?  The 
answer  to  such  inquiries  will  be  found  in  the  sequel  of  these 
observations. 

Sacred  music  as  a  divine  institution,  was  not  destined,  like 
the  ancient  Jewish  ritual,  to  decay.  It  is  to  stand  while  time 
endures,  as  a  lively  representation  of  the  worship  of  the  sanc- 
tuary above.  Nor  can  we  doubt  that  it  will  yet  be  seen  to 
operate  more  efficiently  than  ever,  in  enliveninp^  the  devotions 
of  the  sincere  worshipper.  That  there  is  something  wrong  in 
the  present  manner  of  sustaining  it,  is  freely  admitted.  Indeed, 
there  is  so  much  which  is  wrong,  that  it  seems  difficult  to  deter- 
mine where  to  begin  or  to  end  the  recital.  But  it  is  not  our 
present  object  to  speak  of  the  number  and  character  of  abuses. 
A  more  delicate  task  lies  before  us,  and  one  which  we  hope  will 
prove  on  the  whole  more  beneficial.  We  shall  endeavor  to  dis- 
cover to  our  readers  the  principal  source  of  these  abuses,  and 
point  out  the  only  sure  and  practical  remedy. 

The  musical  art,  if  we  may  venture  to  believe  the  accredited 
decisions  of  ancient  history,  was  originally  confined  to  purposes 
of  religious  worship.  As  society  became  more  depraved,  and 
religious  rites  were  corrupted,  feasting  and  merriment  and  idol- 
worsliip  took  place  of  the  serious  offerings  of  praise  and 
prayer ;  and  hence  the  origin  of  secular  music  as  a  distinct 
branch  of  the  art.  When  at  times  pure  religion  was  reinstattd, 
she  received  tlie  arts  as  she  found  them.  Her  aim  was,  not  to 
destroy,  but  to  reform  and  preserve  every  thing  which  was  in- 
trinsically valuable.  The  distinction  between  sacred  and  secu- 
lar music  was  for  a  time  well  defined,  so  far  at  least  as  inllu- 


1844.]  Sacred  Music.  427 

ences  were  concerned ;  though  afterwards  there  seems  to  have 
been,  occasionally,  an  unhallo^ved  blending.     The  song  at  the 
Red  Sea  appears  to  have  been  an  earnest  expression  of  grati- 
tude and  holy  joy :  but  that  which  was  uttered  by  the  same 
people  before  the  idolatrous  calf  of  gold,  we  may  suppose,  was 
of  a  very  different  character.     A  remarkable  change  of  influ- 
ences was  also  witnessed  in  the  days  of  Solomon.     So  early  as 
at  the  dedication  of  the  temple,  the  songs  of  Zion  appeared  in 
their  true  dignity  and  beauty  as  smiled  upon  by  the  great  Mas- 
ter of  assemblies.     It  was  not  when  the  countless  sacrifices 
were  burning  upon  the  altar,  nor  when  the  ark,  that  holiest  of 
symbols,  was  deposited  in  its  place,  that  the  Lord  descended  into 
his  holy  temple.    It  was  just  when  the  singers  and  the  trumpet- 
ers began  to  be  heard  as  one,  in  thanking  and  praising  the  Lord 
for  his  ever-during  mercy,  that  the  divine  presence  was  mani- 
fested.    Then  the  whole  house  was  so  filled  with  the  glory  of 
God  that  even  the  consecrated  priests  could  not  stand  to  minis- 
ter.   But  what  does  Solomon  mean  when,  in  the  decline  of  life, 
bearing  testimony  against  the  vices  and  follies  of  the  world,  he 
says  he  gat  to  himself  men-singers,  women-singers,  and  instru- 
ments of  all  sorts,  so  delightful  among  the  sons  of  men  ;  and 
then  exclaims.  Behold,  all  is  vanity  and  vexation  of  spirit  ? 
Surely,  at  the  dedication  all  was  not  vanity.     We  read  of  no 
vexation  in  the  music  or  the  singers.     But  subsequently  there 
was  a  change  of  management.     The  art,  in  the  days  of  reli- 
gious declension,  had  been  pursued  as  a  means  of  luxurious  en- 
joyment.    Objects  of  taste   are   allowed  to   mingle  with  our 
worship  as  auxiliaries ;   but  when  we  pursue  them  directly,  as 
the  chief  sources  of  enjoyment,  it  is  but  right  that  in  this  rela- 
tion W'e  should  be  made  to  feel  their  emptiness  and  vanity. 

In  the  days  of  Hezekiah  we  find  again  the  song  of  praise 
with  its  appropriate  influences,  as  the  hosts  were  about  to  engage 
in  a  victorious  battle.  But  in  the  days  of  Uzziah  and  his  suc- 
cessors, when  the  art  was  brought  to  minister  to  the  worldly 
sensibilities  of  the  indolent,  the  profane,  and  the  luxurious,  how 
widely  different  were  its  results!  The  maledictions  of  Jehovah 
were  uttered  against  the  men  who,  among  other  offences,  would 
"chant  to  the  sound  of  the  viol,  and  invent  to  themselves  instru- 
ments of  music,  like  David.''''  Such  examples  as  these  are  full 
of  instruction ;  and  we  may  readily  infer  from  them,  that  sacred 
music  can  never  be  secularized  or  applied  to  inferior  purposes. 


428  Sacred  Micsic.  [April, 

without  leading,  in  some  way  or  other,  to  disastrous  conse- 
quences. 

In  the  days  of  primitive  Christianity,  there  was  little  time  for 
the  cultivation  of  the  art.  Exiled  from  their  homes,  despoiled 
of  their  possessions,  and  driven  from  city  to  city  in  peril  of  their 
lives,  the  early  Christians  employed  the  art  as  they  found  it ; 
and  sung  the  praises  of  the  true  God  in  the  common  melodies 
of  that  day.  For  the  farther  purposes  of  cultivation  they  had 
neither  leisure  nor  opportunity.  Yet  they  spent  much  time  in 
the  exercise  of  praise,  and  derived  from  it  great  spiritual  advan- 
tage. They  sometimes  employed  whole  nights  in  this  manner; 
not,  indeed,  as  amateurs  at  a  grand  musical  festival,  but  as  sin- 
cere worshippers  of  the  heart-searching  God.  No  wonder, 
therefore,  that  they  were  greatly  edified  and  comforted. 

In  process  of  time,  when  the  churches  had  rest  from  persecu- 
tion, and  derived  protection  and  assistance  from  the  arm  of  civil 
power,  they  began  to  pay  more  attention  to  music  as  an  art. 
This  they  did,  not  for  purposes  of  amusement  or  display,  for 
they  had  not  yet  learned  to  make  sacred  words  serve  as  a  mere 
excuse  for  singing.  Higher  and  purer  motives  still  held  the 
predominance,  and  for  a  while  sacred  music  continued  to  be  a 
powerful  instrument  of  edification  in  public  and  in  private.  But 
as  years  rolled  by,  the  symptoms  of  a  change  were  beginning 
to  appear.  One  of  the  early  fathers  speaks  of  the  sweet  influ- 
ences of  the  songs  of  praise,  with  mingled  sentiments  of  grati- 
fication and  self-distrust.  The  music  melted  his  heart  and 
caused  his  tears  to  flow  ;  and  was  so  attractive  as  to  draw 
heathen  into  the  assemblies,  who  would  sometimes  remain  till 
they  learned  to  worship  in  sincerity.  But  at  the  same  time  the 
charms  of  musical  sentinientality  required  his  utmost  watcliful- 
ness  to  prevent  them  from  absorbing  that  measure  of  attention 
which  ought  to  be  employed  with  the  subject  matter  of  the 
song. 

Here  was  suggested  an  important  principle.  The  objects  of 
taste,  by  divine  appointment,  so  sweetly  blending  with  the  sen- 
timents of  devotion,  are,  through  human  infirmity,  continually 
liable  to  weaken  that  influence  which  they  are  tiesigned  and 
espcc:iiilly  achipted  to  promote.  Even  the  orator  in  his  loftier 
flights  Will  sometimes  lead  us  thus  astray  ;  but  when  the  same 
sentiments  arc  expressed  in  sweet  poetry,  and  clothed  in  beau- 
tiful music,  the  attraction  is  stronger,  and  the  temptation  more 
diflicult  to  be  overcome. 


1844.]  Sacred  Musit.  429 

The  churches  at  length  became  less  scrupulous  in  regard  to  this 
important  principle.  They  would  allow  tliemselves  to  sing 
psalms  for  the  express  purpose  of  "  relieving  the  tedium  of 
other  exercises,"  preventing  languor,  and  'preparing  the  mind 
by  a  little  tasteful  enjoyment,  to  enter  with  greater  alacrity  upon 
subsequent  duties  of  devotion.  By  a  still  farther  declension  in 
spirituality,  it  was  subsequently  declared  in  the  days  of  Gregory, 
the  reformer  of  the  canto  primo,  that  "  the  chanters  "  who  had 
also  been  ministers,  should  be  separated  from  the  regular  cler- 
gy, on  the  ground  that  "  singers  were  to  be  admired,  more  on 
account  of  their  voices,  than  for  their  precepts  or  pitrily.^^  This 
decision  of  the  man  of  sin  seems  never  yet  to  have  been  fully 
abrogated,  even  among  protestants.  No  further  step  was 
needed  to  complete  the  declension.  Sacred  music  came  to  be 
regarded  simply  as  a  fine  art,  irrespective  of  personal  religious 
responsibilities.  The  office  of  praise  was  thus  degraded  for 
centuries.  Sunday  evening  concerts  were  blended  with  reli- 
gious orations  ;  and  the  music  becoming  the  chief  object  of 
attraction,  led  the  way  by  easy  steps  to  the  cultivation  of  "  sa- 
cred dramas,"  so  called,  which  were  partly  acted  and  partly 
sung.  At  Christmas,  for  example,  would  be  represented  "  the 
play  of  the  JVativity,''  and  at  Easter,  "  the  play  of  the  Resur- 
rection!"  In  these  exhibitions  or  entertainments,  the  musicians 
themselves  were  not  necessarily  regarded  as  worshippers. 
Though  the  words  which  fell  from  their  lips  w^ere  often  such  as 
angels  would  not  utter  but  with  veiled  faces,  they  were  here 
comparatively  of  little  account.  The  whole  subject  of  devotion 
was  dramatized  ;  and  the  performers  it  would  seem  were  chiefly 
solicitous  to  act  their  parts  to  the  public  admiration.  Choirs  of 
churches,  where  there  was  sufficient  wealth,  were  then  em- 
ployed chiefly  wnth  reference  to  talent ;  and  they  conducted  the 
music  for  the  most  part  on  the  same  general  basis  as  here 
described.  The  singers  were  but  personators  of  devotion,  like 
sounding  brass  or  a  tinkling  cymbal. 

This  species  of  management  was  not  confined  to  the  Italian 
states,  nor  to  a  limited  period  of  time.  In  the  reign  of  Henry 
the  Eighth,  choirs  w^ere  still  established  in  England  by  public 
authority,  and  impressment  was  as  common  for  this  purpose,  as 
it  has  since  been  for  the  military  service.  The  same  practice 
continued  in  the  reign  of  Elizabeth.  Better  notions  of  civil 
liberty  afterwards  prevailing,  recourse  was  had,  in  many  in- 
stances, to  hired  professional  singers,  of  whom  it  might  be  said 


430  Sacred  Music.  [April, 

that  musical  talent  was  almost  their  only  qualification.  Instances 
of  this  management  have  been  known  in  later  times  ;  nor  has 
our  own  country,  even  at  the  present  day,  been  without  exam- 
ples of  the  same  nature.  But  how  very  different  is  all  this  from 
the  primitive  manner  and  spirit  of  praise ! 

The  art,  meanwhile,  had  been  making  unwonted  progress  in  a 
new  direction.  In  the  days  of  primitive  simplicity  the  music  of 
the  church  was  but  an  impassioned  melodious  form  of  utterance, 
applied  to  the  consecrated  themes  for  the  purpose  of  enforcing 
their  meaning  as  by  the  power  of  oratory  ;  but  now  it  began  to 
assume  an  importance  independent  of  the  established  themes. 
The  latter  were  uniformly  in  the  Latin  tongue,  and  this  with- 
out even  the  advantages  of  simultaneous  utterance.  As  many 
as  ten,  twenty,  thirty,  or  forty  different  parts  in  the  harmony 
would  be  sung  in  perpetual  canon  and  fuge,  etc.,  to  the  perfect 
annihilation  of  the  language.  This  style  of  music  prevailed  up 
to  the  period  of  the  Reformers.  The  singers  were  not  remark- 
able for  pious  intentions  ;  and  they  were  allowed,  it  seems,  to 
address  their  auditors  in  language  unintelligible.  The  music 
also  was  so  complicated  in  its  structure,  as  of  Itself  to  make  no 
suitable  appeal  to  the  uninitiated  listener.  To  every  purpose 
of  edification,  therefore,  the  oflice  of  praise  had  become  ex- 
tinct. 

The  reformers  of  the  sixteenth  century  did  all  that  could  well 
have  been  done,  by  men  in  their  circumstances,  to  improve  the 
music  of  the  church.  They  composed  hymns  no  longer  in  the 
Latin  tongue,  but  every  where  in  the  native  dialect  of  the  peo- 
ple. These  they  adapted  to  such  familiar  melodies  as  all  men 
of  ordinary  talent  might  be  able  to  sing;  and  in  consequence 
of  this  management,  the  churches  once  more  became  vocal  in 
the  praises  of  God,  as  in  primitive  days.  The  songs  of  Zion 
were  again  their  delight  as  a  source  of  spiritual  comfort  and 
Christian  edification.  The  reformers  had  it  not  in  their  power 
to  become  extensive  cultivators.  They  did  what  they  could  in 
times  of  danger  and  perplexity.  They  set  such  an  example  of 
improvement  as  opportunities  allowed ;  and  their  success  was 
complete  in  kind,  though  limited  in  duration. 

The  arts  are  never  stationary ;  and  Christianity  has  nothing 
to  gain  by  neglecting  them.  She  can  by  degrees  mould  them 
somewhat  to  her  own  liking;  but  she  cannot  be  allowed  to 
arrest  their  progress.  Different  systems  of  management  suc- 
ceeded.   Some  churches,  following  the  precedent  of  the  reform- 


1844]  Sacred  Music,  431 

ers  too  literally,  confined  themselves  to  the  same  identical 
strains,  long  after  their  original  significancy  had  been  lost  in 
the  progress  of  the  art.  Others  following  with  more  propriety 
the  spirit  of  that  precedent,  invented  additional  melodies  in 
accordance  with  the  taste  of  the  times.  Others  still,  introduced 
music  into  the  service  which  was  more  elaborate  ;  and  there 
were  not  wanting  within  the  pale  of  the  visible  church,  exam- 
ples high  in  influence,  which  favored  the  dramatic  use  of  reli- 
gious themes,  irrespective  of  any  direct  influences  or  purposes  of 
devotion.  The  latter  class  of  individuals,  embracing  almost 
every  where  the  members  of  the  musical  profession,  finally 
gained  the  ascendency  as  to  numbers  and  influence ;  and  their 
maxims  and  habits  for  a  long  time  extensively  prevailed.  We 
see,  however,  in  the  same  connexion,  the  strong  evidences  of 
degeneracy  as  to  religious  influences;  and  we  think,  also,  that 
we  see  the  cause.  Sacred  music  was  no  longer  cultivated,  as 
in  primitive  times,  with  specifi.c  and  exclusive  reference  to 
religious  purposes. 

Sacred  music  was  intended  originally  as  the  handmaid  of 
spiritual  influences ;  but  she  reduced  the  latter  to  a  state  of 
humble  vassalage.  By  this  unwarranted  act  of  usurpation, 
she  has  been  despoiled  of  her  own  pristine  beauty  and  signifi- 
cance. She  now  pleases  far  less  on  her  own  account  than  when 
she  kept  her  place  as  an  unostentatious  instrument  of  edification. 
The  present  period  furnishes  striking  illustrations  of  this  truth. 
A  portion  of  the  community  are  laboring  with  becoming  activ- 
ity for  general  improvement  in  sacred  music ;  and  so  far  as  the 
art  itself  is  concerned,  their  efforts  are  attended  with  gratifying 
success.  But  they  fail  in  regard  to  religious  influences.  Sacred 
music,  as  a  fine  art,  as  a  human  science,  as  a  source  of  tasteful 
gratification,  is  increasing  in  the  public  favor ;  but  sacred  music, 
as  a  Christian  privilege,  as  a  specific  instrument  of  edification, 
as  an  expression  of  devout  thanksgiving  and  praise — sacred 
music,  as  a  holy,  a  divinely  constituted  office,  requiring  pure 
motives,  and  consecrated  affections,  and  hallowed  purposes — 
this  we  fear  is  even  now  sinking  into  comparative  neglect  and 
inefficiency.  The  maxims  and  habits  and  notions  and  preju- 
dices which  have  so  long  been  prevalent,  have  this  infallible 
tendency  to  deterioration;  and  the  existing  efforts  are  too  feeble 
and  to  ill-concerted  too  counteract  it.  Nor  is  sacred  music  as  an 
art  assuming  by  any  means  that  measure  of  importance  in  the 
eye  of  the  community  which  it  would  do  if  it  w^ere  attended 


432  Saci'td  Muyic.  [April, 

with  its  full,  legitimate  results.  Good  men,  in  immense  num- 
bers, will  continue  to  neglect  it  until  its  character  is  reformed. 

But  we  must  be  more  specific  in  our  observations.  The  more 
distinguished  musicians  of  our  own  country  recognize  two  large 
classes  of  specimens  under  the  general  appellation  of  sacred 
music  ;  the  one  belonging  strictly  to  fhe  church,  the  other  to 
the  concert  room  or  the  oratorio.  The  one  class  puiports  to  be 
adapted  to  religious  worship ;  the  other  to  tasteful  amusement 
or  display  of  talent.  Tlie  one  essays  to  lead  the  worshipper  in 
those  walks  of  chaste  simplicity  which  allow  him  to  school  his 
affections,  call  home  his  wandering  thoughts  and  fix  them  upon 
divine  things;  the  other  makes  its  appeal  to  the  imagination, 
shows  us  the  worshippers  at  a  distance,  and  makes  us  spectators 
of  the  scene,  delighted,  it  may  be,  with  the  dignity,  the  more 
than  human  rhapsody  which  seems  to  animate  the  throng.  In 
short,  the  one  leads  us  into  the  realities  of  religious  worship ; 
the  other  into  the  mere  personations  of  religion.  The  one  is 
real  life  ;  the  other,  imaginative  representation. 

A  single  example  may  sufficieritly  illustrate  our  meaning. 
"  To  thee  cherubim  and  seraphim  continually  do  cry,  '  Holy, 
holy,'  "  etc.  If  I  feel  myself  thus  directly  addressing  the  great 
God  in  an  attitude  of  religious  worship,  I  shall  be  filled  with 
awe,  and  sink  in  prostration  before  the  divine  Majesty  as  if 
"  my  words"  were  "swallowed  up."  In  proportion  as  spiritual 
influences  prevail,  I  shall  be  inclined  like  the  prophet  of  old 
who  heard  the  same  theme  from  angelic  worsliippers,  to  cry 
"  woe  is  me,  for  I  am  undone,  because  I  am  a  man  of  unclean 
lips."  But  if  simply  enjoyed  as  in  dramatic  personation,  I 
strive  to  paint  the  raptures  of  the  unseen  world,  I  may  break 
forth  in  the  boldest  strains  of  a  celebrated  "  Te  Deum,"  without 
at  all  offending  against  the  received''  principles  of  taste.  I  may 
be  as  clamorous  and  as  full  of  repetition  as  1  choose,  except, 
perhaps,  in  regard  to  the  single  word  "/<o/y,"  and  no  one  will 
complain.  The  loftiest  martial  strains  of  a  llayiln  or  a  Beetho- 
ven, containing  more  of  earthly  joy  than  of  heavenly  rapture, 
will  seem  most  in  character  with  the  admiring  midtitude. 
Genius  overpowers  every  thing.  Taste  is  gratified.  The  im- 
agination kindles  antl  burns,  but  not  with  holy  fire.  The  emo- 
tions are  temporarily  exciied,  but  the  heart  remains  cold. 

•  I  say  received  principles,  because,  after  all,  the  principles 
are  not  just,  even  in  a  dramatic  point  of  view. 


1844.]  Sacred  Music.  433 

Now  the  question  more  immediately  before  us  is  not  whether 
the  same  religious  themes  may  or  may  not  with  Christian  pro- 
priety, under  different  circumstances,  be  used  for  each  of  these 
specific  purposes,  but  whether  they  may  be  consistently  used 
for  both  purposes  at  once  ;  or,  rather,  since  there  is  every  where 
so  much  want  of  discrimination,  whether  the  one  of  these  pur- 
poses is  not  continually  liable  to  be  frustrated  by  the  ill-timed 
inconsiderate  application  of  the  other.  Devotional  music  in  the 
exhilarating  concert-room,  for  instance,  is  seldom  found  to  be  in 
keeping  with  the  humor  of  the  place;  and  concert  music  must 
have  a  still  more  undesirable  influence  when  heard  in  the  solemn 
assembly.  At  the  same  time,  the  true  character  of  a  piece  in 
these  respects  is  not  always  readily  determined.  To  this  end, 
we  must  look  beyond  the  title  of  the  piece,  the  character  of  the 
words,  or  the  reputation  of  the  composer,  or  we  shall  be  greatly 
wanting  in  discrimination. 

The  most  celebrated  transatlantic  composers  and  professors, 
we  are  sorry  to  say,  have  too  generally  disregarded  this  dis- 
tinction. They  have  not  even  recognized  the  entire  claims  of  a 
personated Aeyoiion.  Surrounded  by  the  imposing  splendors  of 
a  nominal  Christianity,  they  have  mistaken  the  shadow  of  re- 
ligion for  the  substance.  They  have  ministered  to  the  imagina- 
tion, rather  than  to  the  heart ;  and  even  this  without  the 
advantage  of  enlightened  discrimination.  And  what  is  person- 
ation ?  The  least  that  it  can  imply  is,  that  the  composer  and 
the  executant  both  form  right  conceptions  of  characters  and 
things,  and  execute  their  allotted  tasks  under  the  influence  of 
appropriate  emotions.  In  relation  to  secular  subjects,  this  is 
easily  done,  because  the  nature  of  such  subjects  is  open  to  com- 
mon observation.  Any  one  who  has  human  sympathies  can 
readily  frame  right  conceptions  of  the  joys  and  sorrows,  hopes 
and  fears,  remembrances  and  anticipations,  of  a  given  personage, 
because  these  things  are,  in  some  important  sense,  common  to 
all.  But  in  relation  to  religious  subjects  the  case  is  far  other- 
wise. Vital  religion,  though  a  precious  reality  to  every  one 
who  embraces  it,  is  not  well  understood  by  those  who  have 
never  learned  its  nature  by  personal  experience.  And,  unfor- 
tunately, the  great  musicians  to  whom  we  allude  appear  to 
have  been  too  much  under  the  dominion  of  a  worldly  spirit  to 
yield  themselves  up  to  the  effectual  influences  of  a  heavenly 
tuition.  This  is  sufficiently  obvious  from  the  details  of  their 
history. 

SECOND  SERIES,  VOL.  XI.    NO.  II.  13 


434  Sacred  Music.  [April, 

We  laugh  at  the  simplicity  of  the  painter  who,  in  reference 
to  the  passage  in  the  "  Te  Deum,"  "  continually  do  cry," 
represented  his  angels  with  tears  in  their  eyes.  But  a  similar 
mistake  is  made  by  the  composer,  when  he  paints  the  peculiar 
enjoyments  of  the  Christian  in  a  gloomy  dress,  or  represents  his 
sorrows  by  a  smile,  his  solicitudes  by  the  calm  of  tranquillity, 
or  his  faintest  heavenly  aspirations  by  the  outbreakings  of  ter- 
restrial joy.  This,  in  the  higher  walks  of  composition,  is  not 
unfrequently  done.  Serious  as  the  accusation  is,  we  need  not 
here  apply  for  testimony  to  the  aggrieved  party.  No  one  who 
attentively  reads  the  "  Lives  of  Haydn  and  Mozart,"  will  suspect 
the  talented  writer  of  that  work  of  the  least  taint  of  religious 
enthusiasm.  He  was  a  man  of  the  world,  in  the  midst  of  culti- 
vated society,  in  the  heart  of  Europe  ;  and  few  could  have  had 
better  opportunities  for  critical  observation  than  he  enjoyed  in 
regard  to  the  things  of  which  he  treats.  Speaking  of  the  pro- 
gress of  the  Italian  style,  during  the  last  century,  he  says  that 
"  the  music  of  the  church  and  the  theatre  became  the  same. 
A  gloria  in  excelsio  was  nothing  but  a  lively  air,  in  which  a 
happy  lover  might  very  well  express  his  felicity,  and  a  miserere , 
a  plamtive  strain,  full  of  tender  languor.  Airs,  duets,  recitatives, 
and  even  sportive  rondeaus,  were  introduced  into  the  prayers  !" 

The  same  writer,  though  a  passionate  admirer  of  Haydn,  was 
not  wholly  blind  to  the  faults  of  that  great  man  in  his  treat- 
ment of  sacred  themes.  He  represents  him  in  general  as  avoid- 
ing the  profane  lightness  of  the  Italian  school,  yet  allows  him 
to  have  often  exceeded  in  lightness  the  limits  of  propriety.  He 
says  also,  that  his  faults  were  sometimes  more  positive.  He 
could  occasionally  introduce  comic  passages ;  and  even  paint 
the  fascinations  of  sin  instead  of  the  penitence  of  the  sinner ! 
No  trifling  faults,  truly. 

vSuch  testimony  as  the  above  is  not  easily  set  aside.  We  be- 
hold in  it,  not  the  accusations  of  an  enemy,  but  the  admissions 
of  a  friend, — and  as  the  works  referred  to  are  before  us,  we 
have  also  the  means  of  ascertaining  for  ourselves  the  reality  of 
the  things  described.  Not  only  are  these  admissions  well  ibund- 
ed,  but  the  half  is  not  told.  Nor  is  the  celebrated  Haydn  the 
only  great  composer,  who  often  fails  in  his  conception  of  reli- 
gious subjects.  All  the  distinguished  men  of  the  same  school,  so 
far  as  we  liave  been  able  to  examine  their  works,  appear  to 
have  labored  under  the  same  infirmity.  And  if  this  is  true  of 
the  highest  geniuses  of  any  age  or  country,  what  might  be  ex- 


1844.]  Sacred  Music.  431^ 

pected  from  their  countless  admirers  and  imitators?  And  if  the 
men  fail  thus  when  composing  expressly  for  the  church,  how 
much  more  might  we  expect  them  to  fail  in  the  dramatic  use  of 
religious  themes  1  These  failures  are  not  indeed  perpetual ; 
but  they  are  sufficiently  frequent  to  produce  many  an  uncon- 
scious abuse,  not  to  say  desecration,  of  religious  themes. 

It  affords  us  no  pleasure  to  speak  thus  of  the  great  masters 
of  song.  We  would  not  at  all  depreciate  their  talents  or  lessen 
their  reputation.  We  should  as  soon  think  of  questioning 
the  genius  of  a  Virgil,  a  Homer,  or  a  Milton,  as  to  say  ought 
against  the  high  ascendency  these  composers  have  gained  in  the 
musical  world.  Let  their  works  be  thoroughly  studied,  and 
they  will  be  but  the  more  venerated  and  admired.  Yet,  on 
this  very  account,  it  becomes  the  more  necessary  to  expose  the 
one  general  characteristic  which  has  such  a  disastrous  tendency 
on  the  influence  of  religious  music.  The  public  taste  in  this 
country  is  much  in  favor  of  that  music  which  is  of  a  hio-h 
rhapsodic  character,  because  it  is  tasteful,  lively,  energetic,  and 
in  keeping  with  the  general  excitability  of  an  enterprising  age  : 
and  thus  it  happens,  in  many  circles,  that  concert-music,  which 
is  very  unsuited  to  the  worship  of  the  sanctuary,  passes  for 
music  which  is  really  devotional. 

And  what  shall  be  said  of  the  executants  of  a  corresponding 
rank  ?  We  once  heard  the  piety  of  a  preacher  called  in  ques- 
tion, not  because  he  seemed  deficient  In  sensibility,  but  because 
he  was  wont  to  weep  in  the  wrong  places.  While  discoursing 
of  the  Prodigal  Son,  for  instance,  he  would  melt  at  the  thought 
of  feeding  upon  husks,  but  be  little  touched  at  the  scene  of  pa- 
ternal recognition,  which  is  of  such  thrilling  interest  to  the  pious 
heart.  But  this  was  nothing  in  comparison  with  what  is  wit- 
nessed in  the  higher  walks  of  professional  execution.  In  the 
performance  of  sacred  music,  they  will  not  even  consent  to 
weep  in  the  wrong  places.  Their  sympathies  are  differently 
employed.  They  have  a  reputation  to  maintain,  a  talent  to  dis- 
play, and  an  audience  to  gratify,  at  the  expense  of  every  thino- 
save  the  single  article  of  "  filthy  lucre."  Honored  exceptions 
there  doubtless  have  been — but  we  hazzard  nothing  in  saying, 
that  the  men  whose  lives  are  devoted  to  the  secular  drama  are 
not  the  individuals  who,  in  the  oratorio,  the  sacred  concert,  the 
choir,  or  the  organ  loft,  will  enter,  even  with  dramatic  propriety, 
into  the  sweetness  and  tender  solemnity  of  religious  themes. 
These  are  not  at  all  to  their  liking.     They  have  no  true  taste 


436  Sacred  Music.  [April, 

for  them,  no  just  conception  of  their  meaning  and  importance. 
The  same  is  also  true  of  many  a  distinguished  performer,  who, 
without  visiting  the  theatre,  has  acquired  an  exclusive  taste  for 
secular  music.  How  can  any  one,  who  is  a  habitual  neglecter 
of  religious  themes,  be  supposed  on  the  spur  of  the  occasion  to 
enter  fully  into  the  spirit  of  them  ?  The  thing  is  impossible. 
They  must  be  studied  and  heartily  appreciated  before  right  con- 
ceptions will  generally  be  formed. 

But  let  us  suppose,  for  a  moment,  that  the  thing  is  not  so  : 
that  the  worldly-minded  can  exhort  us  to  lay  up  treasures  in 
heaven,  the  skeptical  hold  forth  the  language  of  Christian  ex- 
perience, and  the  neglecters  of  religion  remind  us  of  Him,  who 
"  was  despised  and  rejected  of  men," — that  all  this  can  be  done 
in  such  melting  tones  as  to  move  a  heart  of  marble  to  tender- 
ness— will  this  answer  the  religious  ends  of  sacred  music  ?  We 
often  find  passages  which  assume  the  alhrmative  of  this  question 
with  as  much  confidence  as  if  it  had  been  established  by  the 
soundest  arguments,  and  confirmed  by  the  most  undoubted  ex- 
perience. One  of  the  more  respected  class  of  dramatical  per- 
formers, for  example,  says  of  his  professional  friend  at  an  Eng- 
lish concert,  that  "  his  '  Lord,  remember  David,'  and  his  '  0 
C07ne,  let  us  worship,'  breathed  pure  religion.  No  divine  from 
the  pulpit,  though  gifted  with  the  greatest  eloquence,  could 
have  inspired  his  auditors  with  a  more  perfect  sense  of  duty  to 
their  JNIaker  than  he  did,  by  his  melodious  tones  and  chaste 
style."  Other  writers  might  be  quoted  much  to  the  same  pur- 
pose ;  while  multitudes  show,  by  their  management,  that  the 
same  opinion  is  entertained.  Well,  if  the  question  be  so  decid- 
ed, if  expressive  tones,  with  corresponding  sentimentalities,  are 
so  easily  obtained  from  the  irreligious,  and  are  alone  of  such 
wonderful  efficacy  in  religious  worship,  why,  let  us  at  once  in- 
vite the  prima  dojinas  into  the  choir,  and  all  will  soon  be  right. 
On  the  same  general  principle,  also,  let  us  invite  our  Garricks 
and  Kcans  into  the  pulpit,  and  constitute  our  masters  in  elocu- 
tion the  sole  readers  of  the  liturgy  !  This  would  be  acting  con- 
sistently. It  would  be  treating  the  equally  solemn  ollices  of 
preacliing  and  prayer  and  praise  alike.  But  no — we  must  come 
back  to  primitive  liabits  and  principles.  We  must  call  back  the 
Asaphs,  the  Hemans,  and  the  Jeduthuns,  and  others  of  the  same 
spirit,  to  shed  the  right  influence  upon  the  undertaking.  'J'hen, 
and  not  till  then,  will  the  legitimate  results  of  religious  music- 
be  fully  restoreil. 


1844.]  Sacred  Music.  43', 

We  have  seen,  in  the  preceding  history,  that  the  religious  in- 
fluences of  sacred  music  were  the  offspring  of  religious  motives, 
purposes,  and  affections,  in  the  persons  of  those  who  became  the 
successful  instruments  of  edification.  We  do  not  assert  that 
what  the  profession  have  so  long  claimed  was  never  in  any  given 
instance  realized — for  even  actions  which  were  wrongly  intend- 
ed have  sometimes  been  overruled  for  good.  But  we  say  such 
things  are  not  to  be  expected.  Religious  results  are  to  be 
sought  for  only  in  a  religious  way.  This  is  the  constituted 
method  of  obtaining  them  ;  and  when  a  different  method  is  sub- 
stituted, we  have  no  right  to  look  for  a  blessing  upon  our 
exertions. 

Here,  then,  is  seen  the  great  source  of  misdirection  from  which 
the  countless  abuses  have  arisen.  That  which  claims  to  be 
sacred  music,  among  the  distinguished  cultivators  of  the  art  and 
their  countless  imitators,  is  not  adapted  with  sufficient  strictness 
to  religious  purposes  ;  it  is  often  nothing  better  than  secular 
music  in  disguise.  Yet,  since  it  has  its  peculiar  attractions,  it  is 
adopted  more  or  less  by  all  classes,  and  executed,  almost  as  a 
matter  of  course,  in  accordance  with  the  design,  the  motives, 
and  the  sentimentalities  of  the  composer. 

But  before  we  proceed  to  speak  more  specifically  of  a  remedy, 
■we  must  be  allowed  to  offer  a  single  word  on  the  dramatic  use 
of  religious  subjects.  When  we  consider  that  in  the  higher  de- 
partments of  sacred  music  there  is  now,  and  usually  has  been  in 
modern  times,  a  general  absence  of  religious  motives,  purposes, 
and  affections,  as  well  as  a  want  of  just  conception,  both  in 
composers  and  performers,  how  can  we  avoid  the  suspicion 
that  there  is  something  even  worse  than  the  negation  of  religious 
influences  connected  with  these  branches  of  cultivation  ?  If 
religious  themes  are  liable  to  be  abused  in  speech,  why  not  in 
song  ?  If  they  are  desecrated  by  furnishing  unhallowed  quota- 
tions in  speeches  and  dialogues,  why  not  by  an  irreverential 
utterance  in  recitatives,  airs,  and  choruses?  To  our  own  mind, 
the  principle  is  perfectly  plain.  The  whole  system  of  dramatiz- 
ing religious  subjects,  without  any  proper  recognition  of  religious 
responsibility  in  the  parties  concerned,  is,  in  our  view,  an  abuse 
which  ought  never  to  be  countenanced  in  a  Christian  commu- 
nity. In  the  expression  of  this  opinion  we  do  not  stand  alone. 
It  did  not  even  originate  with  us.  To  say  nothing  of  our  own 
countrymen,  in  this  relation,  the  opinion  has  been  supported  by 

J     wpers,  the  Newtons,  the   Cecils,    the   Richmond s,      o 


438  Sacred  Music.  [April, 

England,  some  of  them,  at  least,  men  of  refined  taste,  who  lived 
many  years  where  abundant  opportunities  of  information  were 
enjoyed.  There  is  something  in  the  very  history  of  oratorios 
which  should  excite  our  suspicion.  To  say  nothing  of  their 
origin  and  progress  in  a  Catholic  country,  the  consideration 
that  they  have  been  generally  employed  in  England  as  a  sub- 
stitute/or other  amusemtnts  in  the  time  of  Lent,  and  performed 
by  gay  and  thoughtless  executants,  not  unfrequently  in  the 
theatre,  and  in  immediate  connexion  with  secular  songs  which 
were  of  more  than  a  questionable  character,  would  surely  seem 
sufficient  to  put  good  men  upon  their  guard.  The  power  of  the 
music  upon  the  initiated  class  in  community  is  unquestioned  ;  but 
is  this  power  rightly  applied,  and  does  it  really  produce  legiti- 
mate results  ?  Does  it  reclaim  wicked  men,  and  make  good 
men  better  by  promoting  their  growth  in  grace  1  Does  it  not 
rather  have  the  opposite  tendency  ?  Does  it  not  tend  indirect- 
ly to  lessen  the  devotional  influence  of  church  music  ?  and  does 
it  not  produce  ujjon  a  large  and  respectable  portion  of  the  reli- 
gious community,  a  strong  reaction  against  the  propriety  of 
church  music  ? 

These  truly  are  momentuous  questions,  well  worthy  the  atten- 
tion of  the  first  minds  in  the  community.  But  however  they  may 
be  disposed  of,  one  thing  is  certain,  that  sacred  subjects,  whether 
in  speech  or  song,  ought  always  to  be  treated  in  a  sacred  manner. 
From  this  one  decision  there  can  be  no  appeal.  And  here  we 
take  our  stand.  With  this  principle  we  would  begin  and  end 
the  entire  process  of  cultivation  in  regard  to  sacred  music.  The 
highest  and  most  important  uses  to  which  this  department  can 
be  applied,  are  the  sincere  worship  of  the  heart-searching  God, 
and  Christian  instruction  and  edification.  Let  us,  in  all  our 
eilbrts  towards  improvement,  limit  its  application  to  these  pur- 
poses, and  ba  watchful  over  the  attendant  inlluences,  with  a  due 
sense  of  our  obligations  and  responsibilitits.  'I'ijis,  and  this 
alone,  will  lead  eifectually  to  the  cure  of  evils  and  })rcvention 
of  abuses. 

Pieces  for  practice,  in  a  period  like  the  present,  should  be 
selected  with  the  utmost  care  anil  discrimination.  This  is  a 
task  which  is  not  likely  to  be  executed  by  the  press.  It  must 
be  done  by  individuals  whose  influence  will  be  ielt.  Concert 
music  ap})lied  to  sacred  subjects  sliould  ever  be  regarded  as  a 
misnomer.  It  is,  morally  sj)eaking,  notliing  better  than  secular 
music  in  disguise.     A  practical  test  is  always  at  hand.     The 


1844.]  Sacred  Music  439 

sentiments  of  the  words  which  form  the  basis  of  our  songs  are 
to  be  illustrated  and  enforced,  as  by  the  power  of  impassioned 
oratory.  That  music  which  does  this,  and  that  alone,  can 
properly  be  regarded  as  sacred.  We  are  not  for  laying  aside 
the  compositions  of  the  great  masters.  We  would  employ  them 
in  sacred  departments  just  so  far  as  they  can  be  made  to  answer 
the  purpose  required.  We  would  have  them  treated  as  the 
classics  in  literature  are  treated.  Shakspeare  and  Milton  are 
often  quoted  with  propriety,  even  in  the  sacred  desk  ;  but  this 
is  a  different  thing  from  converting  the  pulpit  into  a  play-house 
or  a  chair  of  rhetoric. 

Performers  should  also  remember  that,  if  in  sacred  music 
they  would  become  real  worshippers,  they  must  diligently  seek 
to  cultivate  the  true  spirit  of  praise  as  well  as  the  right  manner 
of  song.  Both  are  essential,  and  neither  can  be  omitted  with- 
out serious  injury  to  the  cause.  The  voice  of  prayer  as  well  as 
of  praise  should  be  heard  in  our  schools  and  rehearsals.  Let 
the  whole  effort  be  fully  Christianized,  and  then  we  may,  with 
humble  confidence,  look  for  the  divine  blessing. 

Secular  music  has  its  own  specific  claims  and  advantages, 
and  we  have  no  desire  to  lessen  it  in  the  public  esteem.  As  an 
art,  it  is  worthy  being  better  understood  and  more  extensively 
patronized.  Still  it  is  not  without  its  attendant  evils.  Among 
the  wealthier  class  in  the  community,  this  branch  of  the  art  is 
almost  universally  pursued  to  the  neglect  of  sacred  music, 
properly  so  called.  It  is  regarded  simply  as  an  elegant  accom- 
plishment. Time  and  expense  will  be  devoted  to  it,  year  after 
year,  while,  perhaps,  not  a  solitary  hour  is  given  to  the  system- 
atic practice  of  devotional  music.  If  sacred  music  is  occasion- 
ally taken  in  hand,  it  is  usually  that  of  the  concert  style,  as  if 
no  other  could  be  worthy  of  a  moment's  attention.  Persons 
thus  educated,  are  quite  indisposed  to  the  practice  of  psalms 
and  hymns.  They  not  unfrequently  acquire  such  a  disgust  for 
the  whole  subject  of  church  music,  as  no  strength  of  religious 
principle  is  afterwards  sufficient  to  overcome.  Or,  if  stirred  up 
to  duty,  and  induced  to  commence  in  earnest  the  work  of  praise, 
then  all  their  habits  and  notions  are  found  to  be  at  variance 
with  the  prevailing  style.  One  of  two  extremes  they  are 
always  prone  to  pursue.  They  incline  either,  on  the  one  hand, 
to  apply  secular  melody  with  its  light,  unhallowed  associations 
to  sacred  words  ;  or,  on  the  other  hand,  to  discard  every  appear- 
ance of  melody,  in  favor  of  tunes  so  chastised  in  simplicity  as 


440  Sacred  Music.  [April^ 

scarcely  to  retain  any  measure  of  interest,  save  that  which  is 
derived  from  antiquity.  Such  persons,  in  the  nature  of  the  cir- 
cumstances, must  either  exercise  a  controlling  influence  upon 
those  around  them,  or  retire  altogether  from  this  important  field 
of  cultivation.  In  either  case,  their  course  has  a  tendency  which 
is  exceedingly  disastrous,  especially  as  the  influence  of  their 
example  is  seen  to  descend  through  all  ranks  in  society. 

Such  a  course  of  instruction  as  we  have  here  been  exposing 
has  been  extensively  pursued,  even  in  Christian  families.  But 
it  is  evidently  wrong.  It  is  as  if  our  children  were  to  be  so 
exclusively  trained  to  the  fascinations  of  light  reading,  as  to 
unfit  them  for  the  profitable  perusal  of  the  Holy  Scriptures. 
We  say,  again,  the  most  important  objects  to  which  music  can 
be  applied,  are  those  of  spiritual  worship  and  religious  edifica- 
tion. These  appliances  of  the  art  will  never  be  promoted 
through  secular  cultivation.  They  require  specific  instructions 
and  practice.  The  devotional  claims  of  the  art  are  not  met  in 
the  usual  instructions  for  the  parlor.  The  church  must  have  a 
system  of  cultivation  of  her  own,  and  one  which  is  specifically 
adapted  to  her  own  circumstances.  Such  a  system  will  never 
spring  up  spontaneously.  It  will  never  be  established  by  the 
musical  profession  as  such.  It  must  be  planted  and  nurtured  by 
her  own  care,  and  maintained  by  her  own  activity  and  perse- 
verance. When  she  arises  to  build  with  her  own  hands,  and 
with  purposes  and  aflfections  fully  consecrated,  the  cause  will  be 
seen  to  revive  and  flourish.  Till  then,  it  will  continue  to 
languish  even  in  the  midst  of  seeming  prosperity. 


CONTENTS    OF    VOL.    XII 


No.  XXIII. 


Art.  I.  Writings  of  Martin 
Luther.  By  Professor  C.  E. 
Stowe,  D.  D.,  of  Lane  Semin- 
ary, Cincinnati.  -  -       1 

Art.  II.  The  Works  of 
Samuel  Parr,  LL.  D.,  Re- 
viewed. By  Rev  Calvin  E. 
Park,  WaterVille,  Me.  -    39 

Art.  III.  The  Ideal  of  a  Per- 
fect Pulpit  Discourse.  By 
Professor     Henry    N.    Day,  ' 

Western     Reserve     College,          i 
Hudson,    Ohio.  -  -    85  j 

Art.  IV.    Natural    History 
OF    Man    in    his    Spiritual          ! 
Relations.       By     Professor 
Samuel  Adams,  Illinois  Col-  \ 

lege,    111.  -  -  -  111  1 

Art.V.  Extremes  OF  Credu-  j 
lity  and  SKEPTicisai  IN  His-  j 
TORY.  By  Professor  E.  D.  San-  { 
born,  Dartmouth  College,  | 
N.    H.  -  -  -  131  I 

Art.  VI.  Exposition  of  Mat- 
thew, vii.  6.  By  Rev.  E. 
Ballantine,  Prince  Edward 
Va.          -         - 

Art.  vii.  Coleridge's  View 
OF  Atonement.  By  Rev, 
Lemuel  Grosvenor.    - 

Art.  vii.  Essays  on  the  Mor- 
al Susceptibilities,  Moral 
Action,  and  Moral  Char- 
acter.    -         -  -  -  189 

Art.  IX.  The  American  Col- 
porteur System.  By  Pro- 
fessor J.  M.  Sturtevant,  Illi- 
nois College.  -  -  214 

Art.  X.  Critical  Notices. 


-158 


177 


1.  Prof.  Woolsey's  Goraias  of 

Plato,      -         -    ^        -  i>43 

2.  Blunt's    Posthumous    Ser- 

mons,     -         -  -  246 

3.  Dick's    Lectures    on     the 

Acts,       -         -  -  247 

4.  Winslow's  Christian  Doc- 

trines,     -         -  -  248 

5.  Boardman's       Apostolical 

Succession,      -  -  24<'-i 

6.  Barstow's     Biblical     Dic- 

tionary, -  -  24!J 

7.  Spring's  Obligations  of  the 

World  to  the  Bible,     -  250 

8.  Sears's  Ciceronian,  -  250 

9.  Smith's  Book  that  will  suit 

you,        -         -  -  250 

10.  Goodrich's  Pictorial  His- 

tory    of    the     United 
States,  -  -  251 

11.  Grimshawe's    Memoir  of 

Leigh  Richmond,        -  251 

12.  Mrs.    Ellis's   Mothers    of 

England,  -  -  252 

13.  Bradley's  Sermons,  -  252 

14.  Wisner's      Prelacy     and 

Parity,  -  -  252 

15.  Doddridge's  Family   Ex- 

positor, -  -  253 

16.  Rupp's  History  of  Relig- 

ious Denominations,      253 

17.  Hyponoia,  -  -  254 

18.  Crosby's  Xenophon'sAn- 

basis,       -         -  -  255 

19.  Crosby's     Greek    Gram- 

mar,        -         -  -  255 

Art.  XL  Literary     Intelli- 
gence -  256 


Contents. 


IVo.  XXIV 


Art.   I.    The    Principles    of  1. 

Presbyterianism,  and  Rea- 
sons FOR  Upholding  them.  2. 
By  C.  E.  Stowe,  D.  D.,  Prof. 
Bib.  Literature,  Lane  Semin-  3. 
ary,  Cincinnati            -             -  257 

Art.  n.  Evidence  from    Na-  4. 

TLRE    FOR  THE    IMMORTALITY  5. 

OF   THE   Soul.     By  Rev.  T. 

M.  Post,  Prof,  in  Illinois  Col-  6. 

lege.  -  -  -  294  I 

Art.    III.     Review    of    Car-  7. 

lyle's  Past    and   Present.  I 

By  Prof  J.  T.  Smith  of  New-  8. 

ton  Theo.  Institution,  Mass.    310 

Art.  IV.  The  Natural    His-  9. 

TORY  OF  Man  in  his  Spirit- 
ual Relations.    (Continued  10 
from  130.)      By  Samuel   Ad- 
ams, M.  D.  Prof,  of  Cliemis-          i      11. 
try  and  Natural  History,  Illi- 
nois   College.              -             -  353        12. 

Art.  V.  The  Works  of  Jona- 
than Edwards  Reviewed.  13. 
By  Enoch  Pond,  D.  D.  Prof, 
in  Theo.  Seminary,   Bangor,                14. 
Me.        -        -            -            -373        15. 

Art.  VI.  South's  Sermons  Re- 
viewed.   By  Prof.  Shepherd,  16. 
D.  D.     Bangor,  Me.               -  392        17. 

Art.     VII.     Divine     Agency  18. 

and  Government, together  19. 

with    Human    Agency   and  20. 

Freedom.    By  Rev.  Leonard  21. 

Woods,     D.    D.       Andover, 
Mass.  -  -  .  410        22. 

Art.VHI.  Sketches  in  Gre-  23. 

4.IAN  Piiii.osopHY.    Bv  Rev.  24. 

William   S.    Tyler,    Prof   in 
Amherst  College,  Ma.ss.  425        25. 

Art.    IX.   Dominici    Diodati,  2G. 

DE  Christo  Guak  f.  Loquen- 
TE  ExERciTATio.   Translatrd  ^' 

by  O.T.Dohhiii.D. D.  of  Ex- 
eter, Eng.  (Continued  from  p.  Art 
222,  Vol.  XI.)         -         -         .455 

Art,  X.  Ckitical  Notice* 


Charlotte    Elizabeth's 

Works,  -  -  476 

Foster's  Essays    from    the 

Eclectic  Review,         -  477 
Gurley's    Life     and    Elo- 
quence of  Lamed,          477 
Knowles's  Elocutionist,      478 
Tappan's      Elements      of 

Logic,  -  -  478 

Howe's  Theological  Edu- 
cation, -  .  47^) 
Old   Humphrey's  Country 

Strolls,  -  .  479 

Burns's    Christian     Frag- 
ments, -  -  480 
Smith's    History    of  Mis- 
sions,      -         -  -  480 
Tyler's  Memoir  of  Net- 

'tleton,     -         -  -  480 

Durbin's  Observations  in 

Europe,  -  -  481 

Kahner's    Greek    Gram- 

-  48-2 


mar, 

Anthon's    Greek    Gram 
mar, 

Keith's  Land  of  Israel, 

Schiller's  Poems  and  Bal 
lads, 

Adams's  Peter,    - 

GrecnhiU's  Ezekiel, 

Burrough's  Hosea, 

Manton's  James, 

Jenkyn's  Judo,     - 

Daille's    Philippians 
Coliossians,      - 

Bush's  Hierophant, 

»'      Valloy  of  Vision,   486 
"      Notes  on    Joshua 
and  Judges,     -  -  487 

Bush's  Daniel,     -  -  487 

Biiird's  Religion  in  Amer- 
ica,        -         -  .488 

Additional  Notices,         -  488 

XI.    Literary   Intelli- 
gence '49S 


483 
483 


-484 
-484 
-484 
-484 
-484 
-484 
and 
-484 

-4a-s 


